Recording apparatus with a recording paper mounted in an open/close cover

ABSTRACT

A recording apparatus includes an apparatus body and an open/close cover mounted on the apparatus body so that the open/close cover can pivot between an open position and a close position on a pivot. A roll of recording paper is rotatably supported by the open/close cover, recording paper therefrom being conveyed through a conveying path. A recording device records information on recording paper from the roll of recording paper. The open/close cover is provided with braking force applying structure for applying braking force to the roll of recording paper. The roll of recording paper is pivoted in unison with the open/close cover by an effect of the braking force applying structure when the open/close cover is pivoted toward the close position, whereby the roll of recording paper is moved in a direction for rewinding the recording paper which is pulled from the roll of recording paper.

DESCRIPTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recordinginformation on roll-like recording paper.

2. Background Art

Conventionally, a recording apparatus using roll-like paper as recordingpaper has been practically used widely. As a recording apparatus of thiskind, there are a printer for printing on a receipt, a facsimile forrecording signals transmitted, for example. Such an apparatus includesan apparatus body, a conveying path provided in the apparatus body,recording paper of a roll of recording paper which is conveyed throughthe conveying path, and recording means for recording information on therecording paper conveyed through the conveying path. An open/close coveris mounted on the apparatus body such that the cover can pivot betweenan open position and a close position about its pivot. The open/closecover is provided with recording paper holding means for supporting andholding the roll of recording paper such that the recording paperholding means can rotate about its rotation axis. The recording paper ispulled out from the roll of recording paper, and a tip end of therecording paper is conveyed through the conveying path as required.

A roll of recording paper used in this kind of recording apparatusgenerally includes a thin cylindrical core member, and is formed bywinding long and narrow recording paper around this core member asrequired. When a used roll of recording paper is replaced by a new rollof recording paper, the open/close cover is first opened to its openposition. Then, in a state in which the cover is held at the openposition, the roll of recording paper (some length of recording papermay be remained, or there may be no recording paper and only the coremember is remained depending upon cases) is removed from the recordingpaper holding means, and the new roll of recording paper is mounted onthe recording paper holding means. After the new roll of recording paperis mounted, a tip end of the recording paper is pulled out from the rollof recording paper and is introduced into the conveying path, and thetip end is nipped by printing means or by a pair of conveying rollerswhich feeds the recording paper toward the printing means so that therecording paper can be fed. Thereafter, the open/close cover ispositioned to the close position. In this manner, the new roll ofrecording paper can be mounted in place of the used roll of recordingpaper.

In this kind of recording apparatus, generally, when a new roll ofrecording paper is mounted, it is difficult to hold the recording paperintroduced from this roll of recording paper into the conveying path inan appropriately pulled state, and the recording paper pulled out fromthe roll of recording paper is somewhat loose. The conventionalrecording apparatus is not provided with means for taking up the slackin the recording paper generated in this manner. Therefore, after theroll of recording paper is replaced, the recording paper is held in theconveying path in a somewhat loose state. If the recording is carriedout on the recording paper in such a state, when the slack is taken upby feeding operation of the recording paper, impact force for rotatingthe roll of recording paper is applied to the recording paper, and thereis a problem that the print on the recording paper surface is disorderedby this impact force.

Further, in this kind of recording apparatus, the rotation center of theroll of recording paper (in generally, the roll of recording paper issubstantially uniformly wound in the form of a cylinder, and thus thecenter of gravity thereof is located at the rotation center of the rollof recording paper) is different from the pivot of the open/close cover,and due to this fact, the following problem is caused. That is, in thecase of the conventional recording apparatus, the pivot of theopen/close cover is disposed at a rear end of the apparatus body, andthe rotation center of the roll of recording paper is disposed forwardof the pivot by a distance in some degree. Therefore, when theopen/close cover is opened from the close position toward the openposition, or when the open/close cover is closed from the open positiontoward the close position, the roll of recording paper acts as a load atthe time of pivoting, and the open/close cover can not be opened orclosed smoothly.

Especially in the case of an apparatus which is defined such that theopen/close cover is largely opened and the roll of recording paper isangularly moved so as to exceed the uppermost position, during theopen/close cover is closed from the open position toward the closeposition, the roll of recording paper acts in this closing direction,i.e., in the dropping direction from the point where the cover exceedsthe upper most position and starts moving downward, and hence the forceacting in the closing direction is abruptly increased. The force in theclosing direction is increased as the roll of recording paper to be usedis greater, and as the distance between the pivot of the open/closecover and the rotation center of the roll of recording paper is greater.If the force in the closing direction becomes great, the open/closecover is prone to drop toward the close position at the time of closingoperation, the open/close cover is prone to be damaged, and there is adanger that the user catches his or her finger.

Further, as an apparatus for printing slip paper (generally called as "asheet of recording paper") which is called as a slip such as order slipand receipt, there is a conventionally known recording apparatus inwhich the sheet of recording paper is manually supplied for printing(e.g., Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication JP-U 62-150148(1987), Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication JP-Y22-8781 (1990)).This kind of recording apparatus includes an apparatus body, a conveyingpath defined for the apparatus body, conveying means for conveying thesheet of recording paper through the conveying path, and recording meansdisposed in the conveying path. An insertion/discharge port is disposedat one end of the conveying path, the sheet of recording paper isinserted to the conveying path through the insertion/discharge port, theinserted sheet of recording paper is subjected to printing on itssurface by the recording means while being conveyed through theconveying path, and the printed sheet of recording paper is conveyed ina direction opposite from the inserting direction, and is dischargedfrom the insertion/discharge port. The conveying path is provided at itsside with a slit, and the sheet of recording paper can also be fed tothe conveying path through this slit.

Sheet detecting means for detecting the sheet of recording paper isdisposed above the insertion/discharge port. The sheet detecting meansdetects the sheet of recording paper to be inserted or dischargedthrough the insertion/discharge port, and the conveying means iscontrolled as required based on a detection signal from the sheetdetecting means.

In this kind of recording apparatus, the sheet of recording paper to beinserted and discharged through the insertion/discharge port is conveyedin the inserting direction and the discharging direction opposite fromthe inserting direction passing below the sheet detecting means. Whenthe sheet of recording paper is inserted into the conveying path, thetip end of the sheet of recording paper is passed below the sheetdetecting means and introduced to the insertion/discharge port by handand thus, the sheet of recording paper can be inserted to the conveyingpath. On the other hand, when the printed sheet of recording paper isdischarged outside through the insertion/discharge port, if the sheet ofrecording paper is curved upward and the curving degree is relativelylarge, there is an unfavorable possibility that the tip end of the sheetof recording paper is not introduced below the sheet detecting means butthe tip end is fed above the sheet detecting means. If the sheet ofrecording paper is fed above the sheet detecting means, the dischargingoperation is hindered by the sheet detecting means, the recording paperis not discharged outside through the insertion/discharge port, and apaper jam is caused within the apparatus body.

In order to prevent such a paper jam due to the sheet detecting means,the conveyance of the sheet of recording paper may be controlled suchthat the rear end of the sheet of recording paper (rear end when thesheet of recording paper is conveyed in the inserting direction) is notpassed through the sheet detecting means. However, if such a control iscarried out, a space between the recording means and the sheet detectingmeans becomes a non-printable region, and in the case of an apparatus inwhich such a space is set great, the non-printable region becomes great,and a recording region to the recording paper is largely limited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a recordingapparatus capable of taking up the slack which is prone to be generatedwhen a new roll of recording paper is mounted without adding a newmember to a cover and a roll paper holding mechanism.

It is another object of the invention to provide a recording apparatuscapable of smoothly open and close the open/close cover.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a recordingapparatus capable of reliably introducing the sheet of recording paperbelow the sheet detecting means with a relatively simple structure, andcapable of reducing the non-recordable region even when theabove-described control is carried out.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention provides a recording apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

an open/close cover mounted on the apparatus body so as to pivot betweenan open position and a close position on a pivot thereof;

a conveying path provided in the apparatus body;

a roll of recording paper supported by the open/close cover rotatablyabout a rotation axis thereof, recording paper from the roll ofrecording paper being conveyed through the conveying path; and

recording means for recording information on the recording paperconveyed through the conveying path,

wherein the open/close cover is provided with braking force applyingmeans for applying braking force to the roll of recording paper, and theroll of recording paper is pivoted in unison with the open/close coverby an effect of the braking force applying means when the open/closecover is pivoted from the open position to the close position, wherebythe roll of recording paper is rotated in a direction for rewinding therecording paper pulled out therefrom.

In this recording apparatus, since the open/close cover is provided withthe braking force applying means for applying the braking force to theroll of recording paper, when the roll of recording paper is replacedand the open/close cover is pivoted toward the close position, the rollof recording paper is rotated in unison with the open/close cover. Then,the roll of recording paper is moved in the direction for rewinding therecording paper pulled out from the roll of recording paper by thepivoting of the roll of recording paper. Therefore, even if some slackis generated when the roll of recording paper is replaced, such slack istaken up by the rotation of the roll of recording paper.

According to the invention, the open/close cover is provided withrecording paper holding means for supporting the roll of recording paperrotatably about a rotation axis thereof extending substantially inparallel to the pivot, and the pivot of the open/close cover and therotation axis of the roll of recording paper substantially coincide witheach other.

With this recording apparatus, since the pivot of the open/close coverand the rotation axis of the roll of recording paper substantiallycoincide with each other, the open/close cover can be opened and closedsmoothly. Further, since the pivot and the rotation axis substantiallycoincide with each other, if the open/close cover is pivoted from theopen position to the close position, the roll of recording paper isreliably rotated in a direction for rewinding the recording paper pulledout therefrom, and the slack is taken up by such a rotation.

Further, in the invention the roll of recording paper comprises a coremember and recording paper wound therearound, and the braking forceapplying means acts on the core member to apply the braking force to theroll of recording paper.

With this recording apparatus, since the braking force applying meansacts on the core member of the roll of recording paper to apply thebraking force to the roll of recording paper, constant braking force canbe applied irrespective of service conditions of the recording paper.

Further, in the invention the recording means includes a print head andan opposing member to be pushed against the print head, and nip force ofthe recording paper by the print head and the opposing member is greaterthan the braking force applied to the roll of recording paper by thebraking force applying means.

With this recording apparatus, since the nip force by the print head andthe opposing member is greater than the braking force of the brakingforce applying means, when the slack of the recording paper is small,the roll of recording paper is rotated relative to the open/close coverafter the slack is taken up, and the nipping condition of the recordingpaper by the print head and the opposing member should not substantiallybe varied.

Further, the invention provides a recording apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

an open/close cover mounted to the apparatus body so as to pivot betweenan open position and a close position on a pivot thereof;

a conveying path provided in the apparatus body;

a roll of recording paper to be conveyed through the conveying path; and

recording means for recording information on the recording paperconveyed through the conveying path,

wherein the roll of recording paper is supported by the open/close coverrotatably about a rotation axis thereof extending substantially inparallel to the pivot, and the pivot of the open/close cover and therotation axis of the roll of recording paper substantially coincide witheach other.

With this recording apparatus, since the pivot of the open/close coverand the rotation axis of the roll of recording paper supported by theopen/close cover substantially coincide with each other, even if theopen/close cover is pivoted between the open position and the closeposition, the roll of recording paper does not substantially act as aload of the pivoting movement, and the open/close cover can be smoothlyopened and closed.

In the invention, the open/close cover is provided with a dischargeopening for discharging the recording paper of the roll of recordingpaper conveyed through the conveying path, and a guide rib for guidingthe recording paper of the roll of recording paper discharged throughthe discharge opening outside of the apparatus body.

With this recording apparatus, since the open/close cover is providedwith the guide rib for guiding the recording paper form the roll ofrecording paper outside from the apparatus body, a tip end of therecording paper of the roll of recording paper discharged from thedischarge opening is reliably prevented from entering a clearancebetween the apparatus body and the open/close cover.

The invention provides a recording apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a conveying path defined in the apparatus body;

conveying means for conveying a sheet of recording paper in an insertingdirection and a discharging direction opposite from the insertingdirection through an insertion/discharge port provided at one end of theconveying path;

recording means disposed in the conveying path, for recording on thesheet of recording paper conveyed through the conveying path; and

sheet detecting means for detecting the sheet of recording paper,

wherein the sheet detecting means is disposed above theinsertion/discharge port, the sheet of recording paper being insertedinto and discharged from the conveying path passing below the sheetdetecting means,

the apparatus body is provided with an open/close cover which can pivotbetween a close position and an open position on a pivot thereof, theopen/close cover being provided with a guide rib for guiding the sheetof recording paper, and

when the open/close cover is held at the close position, the guide ribis located above the insertion/discharge port in a vicinity thereof todefine a portion of the conveying path, and introduces the sheet ofrecording paper conveyed in the discharging direction through theconveying path below the sheet detecting means.

With this recording apparatus, the open/close cover which is mounted onthe apparatus body so as to pivot is provided with the guide rib, andwhen the open/close cover is positioned to the close position, the guiderib is located above the insertion/discharge port of the conveying pathto define a portion of the conveying path. Therefore, the tip end of thesheet of recording paper in the discharging direction conveyed towardthe insertion/discharge port is reliably guided by the guide rib andintroduced below the sheet detecting means, and the paper jam isprevented. Further, since the guide rib is disposed upstream the sheetof member as viewed in the discharging direction of the recording paper,the recording paper is reliably discharged through theinsertion/discharge port by controlling the conveying means such thatthe tip end of the sheet of recording paper in the discharging directionis located below the guide rib. Therefore, the non-recordable region isreduced by the existence of the guide rib, and the limitation of recordon the sheet of recording paper is reduced.

Further, in the invention the recording means is disposed inside theopen/close cover in a vicinity thereof, the sheet detecting means isdisposed outside the open/close cover, and when the open/close cover ispivoted to the open position, the apparatus body is partially opened,whereby the recording means is largely exposed outside, and when theopen/close cover is pivoted to the close position, the recording meansis covered with the open/close cover and the guide rib of the open/closecover defines the portion of the conveying path between the recordingmeans and the sheet detecting means.

With this recording apparatus, the recording means is disposed insidethe open/close cover in the vicinity thereof, and when the open/closecover is located at the open position, the recording means is largelyexposed outside. Therefore, utilizing the opening which is opened bypositioning the open/close cover at the open position, parts of therecording means such as a print ribbon can easily be replaced. Further,when the open/close cover is positioned at the close position, a portionof the conveying path is defined between the recording means and thesheet detecting means. Therefore, the sheet of recording paper conveyedfrom the recording means to the insertion/discharge port is guided bythe guide rib and introduced below the sheet detecting means.

In the invention the guide rib is provided with an inclining guidesurface downwardly inclining in the discharging direction, and the sheetof recording paper conveyed in the discharging direction is guided bythe inclining guide surface and introduced below the sheet detectingmeans.

With this recording apparatus, since the guide rib is provided with theinclining guide surface which downwardly inclines, when the sheet ofrecording paper is conveyed in the discharging direction, even if thetip end of the sheet of recording paper is curved in the dischargingdirection, the tip end in the discharging direction is guided by theinclining guide surface and is reliably introduced below the sheetdetecting means.

Further, in the invention the sheet detecting means comprises acombination of light-emitting means for emitting light andlight-receiving means for receiving light from the light-emitting means,one of the light-emitting means and the light-receiving means isdisposed above the insertion/discharge port, while the other of thelight-emitting means and the light-receiving means is disposed below theinsertion/discharge port, the one of the light-emitting means and thelight-receiving means is covered with a sensor cover, and the sensorcover is provided at a lower end thereof with a first inclining surfacefor introducing the sheet of recording paper moved in the insertingdirection below the sensor cover, and a second inclining surface forintroducing the sheet of recording paper moved in the dischargingdirection below the sensor cover.

With this recording apparatus, the sheet detecting means comprises thecombination of the light-emitting means and the light-receiving means,one of them disposed in the insertion/discharge port is covered with thesensor cover, and the sensor cover is provided at its lower end with thefirst and second inclining surfaces. Therefore, when the sheet ofrecording paper is inserted toward the insertion/discharge port, the tipend of the sheet of recording paper in the inserting direction is guidedby the first inclining surface and introduced below the sensor cover,and is passed below the sensor cover and inserted into the conveyingpath below the sensor cover. When the sheet of recording paper isconveyed in the discharging direction, the tip end of the sheet ofrecording paper in the discharging direction is guided by the secondinclining surface and introduced below the sensor cover, and is passedbelow the sensor cover and discharged outside the apparatus body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Other and further objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill be more explicit from the following detailed description taken withreference to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a recordingapparatus of the invention as viewed from front side of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1as viewed from back side thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing outline of the structure of therecording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view as viewed from front side of a state inwhich an open/close cover of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ispositioned at its open position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the open/close cover and itsperiphery of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view for explaining opening andclosing movements of the open/close cover of the recording apparatusshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing recording paper supportingportion and its periphery of the open/close cover shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged sectional view for explaining themounting operation of the open/close cover to an upper housing of therecording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic explanatory views for explaining therewinding operation of the recording paper by pivoting movement of theopen/close cover in its closing direction;

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing sheet detectingmeans and its periphery of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view showing the sheet detecting meansand its periphery of a recording apparatus provided with a guide rib ofa modification.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of a recording apparatus of the present inventionwill be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings below. InFIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated recording apparatus is provided with anapparatus body 2. The apparatus body 2 comprises a lower housing 4placed on a desk or the like for example, and an upper housing 6 mountedon the lower housing 4. The lower housing 4 is provided with a table 8,the table 8 is substantially horizontally extended from a front end(right lower portion in FIG. 1) toward a rear end (left upper portion inFIG. 1). A long and narrow slit 10 opening toward one side (left lowerside in FIG. 1) is provided between the lower housing 4 and the upperhousing 6, and the table 8 is extended within the slit 10. A slip 12comprising a plurality of sheets of copy paper or the like is positionedon an upper surface of the table 8 through the slit 10, and while theslip 12 is conveyed along the table 8, predetermined recording ofinformation such as printing is carried out on a surface of the slip 12.The slip 12 as a sheet of recording paper is a multiple form for acredit card, for example, and is used when the necessary number ofduplicates for a store, a customer, a store clerk and the like areprepared at the same time.

An operation panel 16 is disposed on a front right portion of the lowerhousing 4. The operation panel 16 is provided with switches 18 and 20for selecting the type of print, and various display lamps 22, 24 and26. The switch 18 is for selecting the print to the slip 12, and bypushing this switch 18, it is possible to print on the slip by firstrecording means (which will be described later). The switch 20 is forselecting the print on a roll of recording paper (which will bedescribed later), and by pushing this switch 20, it is possible to printon the roll of recording paper by second recording means (which will bedescribed later). The lamp 22 shows, by continuously lighting, that therecording apparatus is in power on state, and shows, by blinking on andoff, that the slip is being conveyed. The lamp 24 shows, by continuouslylighting, that the slip 12 is being discharged, and shows, by blinkingon and off, that the recording apparatus has a trouble. The lamp 26shows, by continuously lighting, that the slip 12 is being released, andshows, by blinking on and off, that the recording apparatus is inoff-line with an external host apparatus such as a host computer.

The upper housing 6 includes side wall covers 28 and 30 disposed onopposite sides of the upper housing 6, and an open/close cover 32 isdisposed between the side wall covers 28 and 30. The open/close cover 32is mounted on the upper housing 6 such that the open/close cover 32 canpivot between a close position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and an openposition shown in FIG. 4. When the open/close cover 32 is in the closeposition, the open/close cover 32 covers a front surface, a ceilingsurface, au upper portion of a rear surface and upper portions of theopposite side surfaces of the upper housing 6, and a roll of recordingpaper mounted thereto which will be described later is located at apredetermined position. On the other hand, when the open/close cover 32is pivoted to the open position, the front surface and the ceilingsurface of the upper housing 6 are opened, so that the roll of recordingpaper can easily be replaced as will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the upper housing 6 is provided at its rightrear portion with display means 34 for displaying data which isdesignated by the external host apparatus. The display means 34 includesa supporting rod 36 extended upward from the upper housing 6, and thesupporting rod 36 is provided at its upper end with a display portion38. A rectangular display panel 40 is disposed on a surface of thedisplay portion 38, and data from the host apparatus is displayed onthis display panel 40.

Next, the outline of the structure of the above-described recordingapparatus will be explained with mainly reference to FIG. 3. The table 8of the lower housing 4 is provided at its predetermined portions with aplurality of openings. Sheet detecting means 44 is provided incorrespondence with an opening 42. The sheet detecting means 44comprising a photosensor detects a slip on the table 8. This sheetdetecting means 44 and the structure related thereto will be describedin detail later. A pair of rollers 48 and first print means 50 aredisposed in correspondence with an opening 46. The pair of rollers 48comprises a pair of rollers 52 and 54, and when the slip 12 (FIG. 1) isconveyed in the inserting direction shown with the arrow 56, the pair ofrollers 48 is rotated in the direction shown with the arrow, and whenthe slip 12 is conveyed toward an insertion/discharge port 58, the pairof rollers 48 is rotated in the opposite direction from the directionshown with the arrow. In the present embodiment, the first print means50 is configured by an impact type print means, and comprises a printunit 60 including a print head and a platen opposed to the print unit60. As can be understood in FIG. 4, a ribbon cassette 64 is detachablymounted on the print unit 60. Guide plates 66 and 68 are disposed abovethe table at a distance from each other in the conveying direction ofthe slip 12. Since the printing apparatus is structured in this manner,the table 8, the roller 52 and the platen 62 are provided on the lowerhousing 4 and define the lower side of a first conveying path 70 forconveying the slip 12. The roller 54, the print unit 60 and the guideplates 66 and 68 are provided on the upper housing 6 and define theupper side of the first conveying path 70. The first conveying path 70is disposed in correspondence with the slit 10 between the lower housing4 and the upper housing 6.

In the present embodiment, second print means 72 is provided above thefirst print means 50. The second print means 72 is configured bythermal-recording type print means, and comprises a print unit 78including a print head 74 having a line-type thermal head, and a platenroller 76 opposed to the print head 74. The platen roller 76 is rotatedin the direction shown with a broken line arrow. The platen roller 76 ispushed against the print head 74 by a biasing member (not shown) such asa spring, and a second conveying path 80 is extended between the printhead 74 and the platen roller 76. On the upstream end of the secondconveying path 80, is disposed the roll of recording paper 82 which isreplaceably mounted on the open/close cover 32 as will be describedlater. A pair of guide plates 84 and 86 are mounted on the print unit 78at a predetermined distance from each other. A cutter unit 88 isdisposed above the second print means 72. The cutter unit 88 includes afixed blade 90 and a movable blade 92 which is movable toward the fixedblade 90, whereby the recording paper from the roll of recording paper82 is cut by predetermined length. The cutter unit 88 is provided with apair of guide plates 94 and 96 at a predetermined distance from eachother. In this recording apparatus, in connection with the fact that thesecond conveying path 80 extends upward, the open/close cover 32 isprovided at its upper surface with a second discharge port 98. With thisstructure, the guide plate 84, the print head 74, the guide plate 94 andthe fixed blade 90 define one side of the second conveying path 80 forconveying the recording paper from the roll of recording paper 82. Theguide 86, the platen roller 76, the guide plate 96 and the movable blade92 define the other side of the second conveying path 80. A tip end ofrecording paper 100 pulled out from the roll of recording paper 82 isextended from the lower side of the roll of recording paper 82 towardthe side where the open/close cover 32 is opened, i.e., toward thesecond print means 72 at the front and upper portion of the apparatusbody, and is introduced to the second conveying path 80.

In this recording apparatus, when printing is carried out on the slip 12(FIG. 1) as a sheet of recording paper, the slip 12 is conveyed throughthe first conveying path 70, and while the slip 12 is conveyed throughthe first conveying path 70, a predetermined print is recorded on asurface of the slip 12 by the first print means 50, and the slip onwhich the print has been completed is discharged out from the apparatusbody 2 through the insertion/discharge port 58. When printing is carriedout on the roll of recording paper 82, the recording paper pulled outfrom the roll of recording paper 82 is conveyed through the secondconveying path 80, and while the recording paper is conveyed through thesecond conveying path 80, a predetermined print is recorded on a surfaceof the recording paper by the second print means 72, and is dischargedout from the apparatus body 2 from the second discharge port 98 of theopen/close cover 32 as shown with the phantom line 100. Such a record onthe roll of recording paper 82 can be used as a receipt to be handed into the customer. When printing is carried out on both the slip 12 andthe roll of recording paper 82, the slip 12 is conveyed through thefirst conveying path 70, and the recording paper of the roll ofrecording paper 82 is conveyed through the second conveying path 80. Inthis recording apparatus, the first print means 50 functions asrecording means for recording the print on the sheet of recording paper,and the second print means 72 functions as recording means for recordingthe print on the roll of recording paper 82.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, an opening and closing structure of theopen/close cover 32 and a supporting structure of the roll of recordingpaper 82 will be explained next. A pair of upper supporting walls 102and 104 are provided inside the opposite side wall covers 28 and 30(FIGS. 1 and 2) of the upper housing 6 at a distance from each other inthe lateral direction (the direction from lower left to upper right inFIG. 4, and the lateral direction in FIG. 5). These upper supportingwalls 102 and 104 are formed separately from the side wall covers 28 and30, but may be formed integrally with the side wall covers 28 and 30.The upper supporting walls 102 and 104 are respectively formed at theirinner surfaces with guide recesses 106 and 107 extended straightlydownwardly from the upper ends, and the guide recesses 106 and 107 areprovided at their lower ends with circle recesses 108 and 109 (see FIG.8 also). On the other hand, the open/close cover 32 includes a frontwall 110 for covering a front surface of the upper housing 6, a ceilingwall 112 for covering a ceiling surface of the upper housing 6, an arcrear wall 114 (FIGS. 2 and 4) for covering a rear portion of the ceilingsurface and a rear surface of the upper housing 6, and opposite sidewalls 116 and 118 for covering upper portions of opposite side surfacesof the upper housing 6. The opposite side walls 116 and 118 areintegrally provided at their rear outer surface with supportingprojections 120 and 122 projecting opposite sides. Each of thesupporting projections 120 and 122 is formed into a short cylindricalshape corresponding to each of the circle recesses 108 and 109, and theportions of the supporting projections 120 and 122 that are opposed arenotched straightly. Short width W1 of each of the supporting projections120 and 122 is set slightly smaller than width W2 of each of the guiderecesses 106 and 107 (FIG. 8).

When the open/close cover 32 is moved to the position shown with thephantom line 32A in FIG. 6, i.e., to about the midpoint position theclose position shown with the solid line in FIG. 6 (position shown inFIGS. 1 to 3) and the open position shown with the phantom line 32B (theposition shown in FIG. 4), the guide recesses 106 and 107 of the uppersupporting walls 102 and 104, and the supporting projections 120 and 122of the side walls 116 and 118 of the open/close cover 32 are positionedat the positional relation shown in FIG. 8, i.e., at the positionalrelation where the supporting projections 120 and 122 coincide with theguide recesses 106 and 107 and become narrow and long in the verticaldirection. Therefore, the supporting projection 120 and 122 can bepositioned within the circle recesses 108 and 109 through the guiderecesses 106 and 107 of the side walls 116 and 118, and with suchpositioning, the open/close cover 32 is rotatably mounted between theside walls 116 and 118 of the upper housing 6. In a state in which thesupporting projections 120 and 122 are mounted on the circle recesses108 and 109, the center axes of the supporting projections 120 and 122are extended in the lateral direction of the apparatus body 2, and theopen/close cover 32 can be pivoted on the center axis of the supportingprojections 120 and 122 as a pivot 124 thereof (FIG. 5) between theclose position and the open position. When the open/close cover 32 ispivoted to the close position (or the open position), as shown with thephantom line in FIG. 8, the opposite ends of the supporting projections120 and 122 are located within the circle recesses 108 and 109, and thesupporting projections 120 and 122 are prevented from being come off thecircle recesses 108 and 109. Further, in the above-described positionalrelation, since the supporting projections 120 and 122 match with theguide recesses 106 and 107, the supporting projections 120 and 122 canbe moved upward through the guide recesses 106 and 107, and by movingthe supporting projections 120 and 122 in this manner, the open/closecover 32 can be removed from the upper housing 6.

The side walls 116 and 118 of the open/close cover 32 are respectivelyprovided integrally at their rear portions with resilient pieces 126(only the resilient piece provided on the side wall 116 is shown in FIG.6) by providing U-shaped cut grooves. Each of the resilient pieces 126is provided at its tip end with semicircular projections 128 projectingoutward (two of the projections are shown in FIG. 5). The projection 128of the resilient piece 126 provided on the one side wall 116 is pushedagainst an inner surface of the upper supporting wall 102 by theresilience of the resilient piece 126 itself, and the projection 128 ofthe resilient piece 126 provided on the other side wall 118 is pushedagainst an inner surface of the other upper supporting wall 104 by theresiliency of the resilient piece 126 itself. Therefore, the frictionforce applied between the semicircular projections 128 and the uppersupporting walls 102 and 104 acts as the braking force when theopen/close cover 32 is pivoted, appropriate pivoting force is requiredfor pivoting the open/close cover 32, a rotation due to the own weightof the open/close cover 32 is prevented, so that the safety is improved.This braking force can be adjusted by varying the size of the projection128, i.e., the degree of the deformation of the resilient piece 126.

In the present embodiment, when the open/close cover 32 is positioned atthe close position, as understood in FIG. 1, a part of a lower end ofthe front wall 110 abuts against an upper surface (upper surface in thevicinity of the portion where the operation panel 16 is provided) of thelower housing 4, thereby preventing the open/close cover 32 frompivoting exceeding the close position. The open/close cover 32 isprovided with a lock member (which will be described later) for lockingthe open/close cover 32 to the close position. On the other hand, whenthe open/close cover 32 is positioned at the open position, asunderstood in FIGS. 2 to 4, a portion of the arc rear wall 114 abutsagainst an upper edge of a rear wall 130 of the upper housing 6, therebypreventing the open/close cover 32 from pivoting exceeding the closeposition.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a lower end of the arcrear wall 114 of the open/close cover 32 is integrally provided with apair of guide ribs 134 at a distance from each other in the lateraldirection (the direction from lower left to upper right in FIG. 2, andthe direction perpendicular to a paper surface in FIG. 3). The pair ofguide ribs 134 is of approximately triangle shape, and is positionedslightly above the upper edge of the rear wall 130 of the upper housing6 when the open/close cover 32 is at the close position. An incliningupper surface of each of the guide ribs 134 is obliquely extendedstraightly downward from an outer surface of the open/close cover 32above the upper edge of the rear wall 130 to a rear portion of the rearwall 130. When such guide ribs 134 do not exist, the recording paper 100discharged through the discharge port 98 of the open/close cover 32 ismoved along the upper surface of the open/close cover 32, and there is afear that the tip end of the recording paper 100 enters into theclearance between the arc rear wall 114 of the open/close cover 32 andthe rear wall 130 of the upper housing 6. Whereas, if the guide ribs 134are provided as in the present embodiment, the tip end of the recordingpaper 100 discharged through the discharge port 98 is introduced outsidethe rear wall 130 of the lower housing 4 along the upper surfaces of theguide ribs 134, and the tip end of the recording paper 100 is reliablyprevented from entering the clearance.

In the present embodiment, in order to allow the open/close cover 32 topivot toward the open position, the upper end of the rear wall 130 ofthe upper housing 6 is formed with rectangular notches 136 (FIG. 2) incorrespondence with the guide ribs 134. Therefore, when the open/closecover 32 is pivoted, the guide ribs 134 are moved through the notches136. In order to introduce the recording paper 100 outside the rear wall130 more reliably, it is preferable to provide three or more guide ribs134 and notches 136 at a distance from each other in the lateraldirection.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a supporting structure of the rollof recording paper 82 will be explained. An inner surface of the arcrear wall 114 of the open/close cover 32 is provided with a pair ofmounting projections 142 and 144 at a distance from each other in thelateral direction (the lateral direction in FIG. 5). A supporting member148 is mounted, by a mounting screw 146, to the mounting projection 142which is disposed at an inner side of the side wall 116. The supportingmember 148 includes a body portion 150 extended from the mountingprojection 142 downward as viewed in FIG. 5. The body portion 150 isprovided at its tip end with a recording paper supporting portion 152.The supporting member 148 is integrally provided with an operationportion 154 extended from the tip end of the body portion 150 to draw anapproximately L-shape. A supporting member 158 is mounted, by a mountingscrew 156, to the mounting projection 144 disposed at an inner side ofthe side wall 118. The supporting member 158 includes a body portion 160extended from the mounting projection 144 downward as viewed in FIG. 5,and the body portion 160 is provided at its tip end with a recordingpaper supporting portion 162. The recording paper supporting portions152 and 162 of the supporting members 148 and 158 have substantially thesame structures and thus, one of the recording paper supporting portions152 will be explained with reference to FIG. 7 also. In FIG. 7, therecording paper supporting portion 152 includes a first circularprojection 164 which is mounted on an inner surface of a tip end of thebody portion 150. The first projection 164 projects inward, and a tipend surface of the first projection 164 is concentrically provided witha circular second projection 166 which projects further inward. Thecenter axis 167 (FIG. 7) of the second projection 166 of the supportingmembers 148 and 158 is extended in the lateral direction of theapparatus body 2, and the center axis 167 substantially coincides withthe pivot 124 of the open/close cover 32 as shown in FIG. 5. Each of thesupporting members 148 and 158 can be formed of synthetic resin in onepiece, and by forming the supporting members in this manner, thesupporting members 148 and 158 themselves can assume slight resilience.Since the recording apparatus is structured as described above, if theoperation portion 154 of the supporting member 148 is pushed outward asshown with the arrow 168, the supporting member 148 is slightly deformedoutward as shown with the phantom line in FIG. 5, and it is possible toslightly enlarge the distance between the recording paper supportingportions 152 and 162 of the supporting members 148 and 158. The pair ofsupporting members 148 and 158 constitute recording paper holding meansfor holding the roll of recording paper 82.

The roll of recording paper 82 mounted on the recording paper holdingmeans of the open/close cover 32 has the structure shown in FIGS. 3 and5. That is, the roll of recording paper 82 includes a long and narrowcylindrical core member 170, and the recording paper 100 is wound aroundan outer peripheral surface of this core member 170 many times. The coremember 170 is formed of relatively hard paper, and its center is hollow.The length of the core member 170 in its axial direction issubstantially equal to the width of the recording paper 100 (the lengthin the axial direction when the recording paper 100 is wound in theroll-like manner). Therefore, in a state in which the recording paper100 is wound around the core member 170, both the end surfaces definesubstantially the same end surfaces (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

In the present embodiment, the recording apparatus is further structuredas follows. Referring to FIG. 7, an outer diameter of each of the firstprojections 164 of the supporting members 148 and 158 is set slightlysmaller than that of the core member 170 of the roll of recording paper82. Each of the second projections 166 of the supporting members 148 and158 is set substantially equal to or slightly smaller than an innerdiameter of a hollow hole 170 of the core member 170. Therefore, thesecond projections 166 can be inserted into and removed from the hollowhole 170 of the core member 170. Further, the length of the core member170 in its axial direction is set slightly longer than the distancebetween the first projections 164 of the supporting members 148 and 158.Therefore, if the roll of recording paper 82 is mounted, the oppositeend surfaces of the core member 170 act on the tip end surface of thesecond projection 166, so that the supporting members 148 and 158 areslightly deformed toward opposite sides.

Next, the attaching procedure of the roll of recording paper 82 will beexplained. When the roll of recording paper 82 is mounted (for example,when a new roll of recording paper 82 is mounted in case that therecording apparatus is used), the open/close cover 32 is positioned fromthe close position (the position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and shown withthe solid line in FIG. 6) to the open position (the position shown inFIG. 4, and shown with the phantom line 32B in FIG. 6). Such apositioning can be done by bringing up the front wall 110 of theopen/close cover 32 for example, and the open/close cover 32 is pivotedon the pivot 124.

When the open/close cover 32 is positioned at the open position, theinside of the open/close cover 32 is opened outward as shown in FIG. 4,and a space for mounting the roll of recording paper 82 is generatedbetween the open/close cover 32 and the second print means 72. In thepresent embodiment, the cutter unit 88 is mounted on the print unit 78of the second print means 72 such that the cutter unit 88 can pivotbetween a close position (the position shown in FIG. 3) and an openposition (the position shown in FIG. 4). This cutter unit 88 is normallyheld at the close position for cutting the recording paper 100 from theroll of recording paper 82, but when the roll of recording paper 82 isto be mounted, the cutter unit 88 is positioned at the open position. Ifthe cutter unit 88 is positioned at the open position, the space betweenthe print unit 78 and the cutter unit 88 is opened as shown in FIG. 4.Further, if the open/close cover 32 is positioned at the open position,the front surface of the upper housing 6 is opened, so that the ribboncassette 64 can be detachably mounted on the print unit 60.

Next, in a state in which the open/close cover 32 is opened, as shown inFIG. 5, the operation portion 154 of the supporting member 148 is movedin the direction shown with the arrow 168 to enlarge the distancebetween the recording paper supporting portions 152, 162 of thesupporting members 148, 158. In a state in which the distance isenlarged in this manner, the second projections 166 of the supportingmembers 148 and 158 are positioned in the hollow hole 172 of the coremembers 170 of the roll of recording paper 82 (see also FIG. 7) andthen, the resilient deformation of the supporting member 148 by theoperation portion 154 is released. With this operation, the secondprojections 166 of the supporting members 148 and 158 are inserted tothe core member 170 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the roll of recordingpaper 82 is supported by the second projections 166 of the supportingmembers 148 and 158, and the roll of recording paper 82 is heldrotatably about the rotation axis 167 of the second projections 166 asits rotation axis. In such a holding state, since the distance betweenthe first projections 164 of the supporting members 148 and 158 is setslightly smaller than the length of the core member 170, the tip endsurfaces of the first projections 164 are contacted under pressure withthe end surfaces of the core member 170 by the resilient effect of thesupporting members 148 and 158, the braking force is applied to therotation of the roll of recording paper 82 when the recording paper 100is pulled out, and the slack of the pulled out recording paper 100 isprevented from being generated. In the present embodiment, the firstprojections 164 of the supporting members 148 and 158 function as thebraking force applying means, and act on the core member 170 of the rollof recording paper 82. Although the recording paper 100 of the roll ofrecording paper 82 is reduced as it is used, the diameter of the coremember 170 is not varied. Therefore, because the first projections 164function as described above, the constant braking force is appliedirrespective of the service condition of the recording paper 100. Whenthe braking force is not largely varied by the service condition of therecording paper 100, the tip end surfaces of the first projections maybe contacted under pressure with the end surfaces of the core member 170and the recording paper 100.

In the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the attaching anddetaching operation of the roll of recording paper 82, the tip ends ofthe second projections 166 of the supporting members 148 and 158 areprovided with first and second inclining portions 166a and 166b,respectively. As shown in FIG. 7, the first inclining portion 166a isextended such as to incline upward and inward when the open/close cover32 is at the close position, the pair of the supporting members 148 and158 can be resiliently deformed outside by moving the core member 170 ofthe roll of recording paper 82 along the first inclining portions 166aof the second projections 166, and with this operation, the roll ofrecording paper 82 can easily be mounted on the second projections 166.The second inclining portion 166b is extended such as to inclinedownward and inward when the open/close cover 32 is at the closeposition, and by utilizing the second inclining portion 166b, the rollof recording paper 82 (the core member 170 when the recording paper 100is run out) can easily be detached from the space between the secondprojections 166. In this embodiment, since the easiness of the attachingoperation of the roll of recording paper 82 takes priority, the firstinclining portion 166a is extended over the rotation axis 167, and isformed larger than the second inclining portion 166b. The roll ofrecording paper 82 (or the core member 170) can be detached by pushingthe operation portion 154 of the supporting member 148 outward, therebyenlarging the distance between the supporting members 148 and 158.

Thereafter, as understood in FIG. 3, the tip end of the recording paper100 is pulled from the roll of recording paper 82 and introduced outfrom the discharge port 98 through the second conveying path 80 andthen, the open/close cover 32 is pivoted to be positioned to the closeposition. The print head 74 and the platen roller 76 are designed suchthat the contact-under pressure state can be released. When therecording paper 100 is inserted through the space between the print head74 and the platen roller 76, the contact-under pressure state isreleased, and the tip end of the recording paper 100 is insertedtherebetween. In this recording apparatus, since the pivot of theopen/close cover 32 and the rotation axis of the roll of recording paper82 substantially coincide with each other, even if the open/close cover32 is pivoted from the open position to the close position, and viceversa, the moment force acting on the open/close cover 32 of the roll ofrecording paper 82 is substantially zero, and the roll of recordingpaper 82 is only pivoted on the pivot of the open/close cover 32.Therefore, the open/close cover 32 can smoothly be pivoted irrespectiveof the pivoting angle. Further, when the open/close cover 32 is openedor being closed, the pivoting moment of the open/close cover 32 shouldnot largely varied, and the safety during opening or closing operationis secured.

In the present embodiment, the slack of the recording paper of the rollof recording paper 82 can be taken up by the pivoting movement of theopen/close cover 32 in its closing direction. Mainly referring to FIG.9, the present embodiment will be further explained. The roll ofrecording paper 82 is prevented from freely rotating relative to theopen/close cover 32 by the effect of the braking force applying meansprovided on the open/close cover 32 (see FIG. 5), and the roll ofrecording paper 82 is pivoted on the pivot in unison with the pivotingmovement of the open/close cover 32. When the roll of recording paper 82is pivoted on the pivot in this manner, a point P of the roll ofrecording paper 82 (a point from which the recording paper 100 is pulledout) (see FIG. 9A) when the open/close cover 32 is at the closeposition, is moved to a position shown in FIG. 9B when the open/closecover 32 is pivoted to the close position, the roll of recording paper82 held by the open/close cover 32 is rotated in a direction to rewindthe pulled out recording paper 100. Therefore, the slack recording paper100 between the roll of recording paper 82 and the second print means 72(the print head 74 and the platen roller 76) is rewound around the rollof recording paper 82 by the above-described movement of the roll ofrecording paper 82, and the slack of the recording paper 100 is takenup. Especially in this embodiment, since the pivot 124 of the open/closecover 32 and the rotation axis 167 of the roll of recording paper 82substantially coincide with each other, the roll of recording paper 82is reliably moved in the rewinding direction by the pivoting movement ofthe open/close cover 32 in the close position, its moving amountcorresponds to the pivoting angle between the open position and theclose position of the open/close cover 32 and therefore, the recordingpaper 100 can be rewound around the roll of recording paper 82.

In this recording apparatus, the nip force to the recording paper 100applied by the print head 74 of the second print means 72 and the platenroller 76 (which constitutes the opposing member pushed against theprint head 74) is set greater than the braking force applied by thebraking force applying means. By setting the braking force in thismanner, when the slack amount of the recording paper 100 is small, afterthe slack of the recording paper 100 is taken up, the roll of recordingpaper 82 is slightly rotated in the direction shown with the arrow 180(FIG. 9B) relative to the open/close cover 32 about the rotation axis167, great tensile force is not applied to the recording paper 100pulled out from the roll of recording paper 82, and the nip condition ofthe recording paper 100 between the print head 74 and the platen roller76 is maintained.

The above-described embodiment is designed such that the tip end of therecording paper 100 introduced out from the roll of recording paper 82is first nipped by the print head 74 of the second print means 72 andthe platen roller 76 and therefore, the nip force by the print head 74and the platen roller 76 is related, but when the recording paper 100from the roll of recording paper 82 is designed to be nipped by a pairof conveying rollers, nip force by the pair of conveying rollers isrelated. That is, in such a case, the nip force by the conveying rollersis set greater than the braking force by the braking force applyingmeans, and with such a structure, the same effect as that describedabove is achieved.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 10, the sheet detecting means44 and a structure related thereto will be explained. As shown in FIG.3, the sheet detecting means 44 is disposed outside the open/close cover32. In the embodiment, the sheet detecting means 44 comprises acombination of light-emitting means 45 comprising a light-emittingelement and light-receiving means 47 comprising a light-receivingelement. The light-emitting means 45 is disposed above theinsertion/discharge port 58 of the first conveying path 70, and thelight-receiving means 47 is disposed below the insertion/discharge port58. When the slip 12 exists in the insertion/discharge port 58, lightfrom the light-emitting means 45 does not reach the light-receivingmeans 47, and the sheet detecting means 44 detects the slip 12. In thisembodiment, the light-emitting means 45 is disposed above theinsertion/discharge port 58, and the light-receiving means 47 isdisposed below the insertion/discharge port 58. On the contrary, thelight-emitting means 45 may be disposed below the insertion/dischargeport 58, and the light-receiving means 47 may be disposed above theinsertion/discharge port 58. Further, although transmission typedetecting means is used as the sheet detecting means 44 in thisembodiment, reflection type detecting means may be used instead. In thiscase, the light-emitting means and the light-receiving means aredisposed above the insertion/discharge port 58.

The light-emitting means 45 is mounted on a sensor cover 182 mounted onthe lower housing 4. The sensor cover 182 is provided at its lower endwith first and second inclining surfaces 182a and 182b. As shown in FIG.10, the first inclining surface 182a is extended such as to inclinestraightly downward in the inserting direction shown with the arrow 56for introducing, to the space below the sensor cover 182, i.e., belowthe light-emitting means 45, the slip 12 moving on the table 8 towardthe first conveying path 70 in the inserting direction 56. The secondinclining surface 182b is extended such as to incline straightlydownward in the discharging direction shown with the arrow 57 forintroducing, to the space below the sensor cover 182, the slip 12 movingon the table 8 out from the apparatus body 2 in the dischargingdirection 57. Since the sensor cover 182 is provided with the first andsecond inclining surfaces 182a and 182b, the slip 12 is passed below thesensor cover 182 and reliably conveyed.

The open/close cover 32 is provided with a guide rib 184 for introducingthe slip 12 below the sensor cover 182 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10. Inthe embodiment, the guide rib 184 is integrally formed on an innersurface of a tip end (end opposed to the table 8 when the open/closecover is held at the close position) of the front wall 100 of theopen/close cover 32. The guide rib 184 projects slightly downward fromthe tip end of the front wall 100, a lower end of the guide rib 184 isprovided with an inclining guide surface 184a straightly extendeddownward in the discharging direction shown with the arrow 57, and a tipend of the inclining guide surface 184a is formed into an arc roundshape. This guide rib 184 is disposed on a right portion of the frontwall 110 of the open/close cover 32 in correspondence with the sheetdetecting means 44, and when the open/close cover 32 is at the closeposition, the guide rib 184 is located above the first conveying path 70between the sensor cover 182 and the pair of conveying rollers 48 todefine a portion of an upper side of the conveying path 70 for guidingthe slip 12 moving in the discharging direction shown with the arrow 57toward the space below the sensor cover 182. The first conveying path 70may be provided with a plurality of guide ribs 184 at a distance fromone another in its widthwise direction. Alternatively, the tip end ofthe front wall 110 may be partially extended to form a guide rib.

At the inner side of the open/close cover 32, the first print means 50is disposed in the vicinity of the open/close cover 32. Therefore, whenthe open/close cover 32 is at the close position as shown in FIG. 3, theopen/close cover 32 covers the first print means 50 and the like, andwhen the open/close cover 32 is positioned at the open position, thefront surface side of the first print 50 is largely exposed outside asshown in FIG. 4. Therefore, the ribbon cassette 64 can be detachablymounted on the print unit 60 through this opened front surface, and theribbon cassette 64 can easily be replaced by new one. When a new ribboncassette 64 is mounted, the open/close cover 32 is positioned to theopen position, the lower conveying roller 52 is positioned to anon-service position shown with the phantom line in FIG. 10, a ribbon64a of the ribbon cassette 64 is inserted through between the pair ofconveying rollers 48 whose nip condition is released, thereby mountingthe new ribbon cassette 64. In this recording apparatus, as understoodin FIG. 10, a distance between the sheet detecting means 44 and thefirst print means 50 is set relatively large, and related thereto, adistance between the sheet detecting means 44 and the pair of conveyingrollers 48 is also large. Therefore, utilizing the large distancebetween the sheet detecting means 44 and the pair of conveying rollers48, the ribbon cassette 64 can easily be attached and detached. The pairof rollers 48 is disposed close to the center of the print unit 60 asshown in FIG. 4 so that the ribbon cassette 64 is not prevented frombeing inserted.

Referring again to FIG. 4, a lock member 186 for locking the open/closecover 32 at the close position will be explained. The lock member 186 isprovided such as to further project from a right end of the front wall100 of the open/close cover 32, and a tip end of the lock member 186 isintegrally formed with an engaging pawl 186a. On the other hand, thelower housing 4 is provided with an engaging hole 188 in the vicinity ofthe operation panel 16. When the open/close cover 32 is pivoted to theclose position on the pivot 124, the engaging pawl 186a of the lockmember 186 engages the engaging hole 188, and the open/close cover 32 isheld at the close position. When the open/close cover 32 is opened, thelock member 186 is pushed to release the engaging state between theengaging pawl 186a and the engaging hole 188 and then, the open/closecover 32 is pivoted to the open position.

In the above-described recording apparatus, the slip 12 is printed asfollows. Mainly referring to FIGS. 3 and 10, the slip 12 is placed onthe table 8 and positioned at a position where the sheet detecting means44 detects the slip 12. The slip 12 can be positioned on the table 8through the slit 10 from the side of the apparatus body 2, or candirectly be positioned from the front surface side of the apparatus body2. When the slip 12 is placed from the front surface side of theapparatus body 2, since the first inclining surface 182a of the sensorcover 182 functions as a guide surface, the tip end of the slip 12 canreliably be introduced into the first conveying path 70 through thespace below the sensor cover 182. When this slip 12 is inserted from thefront surface side, it is inserted until it abuts against the pair ofconveying rollers 48.

Next, the switch 18 of the operation panel 16 is pushed. By pushing theswitch 18 of the operation panel 16, the printing operation on the slip12 is started, the conveying pair of rollers 48 is first rotated in thepredetermined direction shown with the arrow, and the slip 12 on thetable 8 is conveyed in the inserting direction shown with the arrow 56by the operation of the pair of conveying rollers 48. When the rear endof the slip 12 in the inserting direction passes through the sheetdetecting means 44, after a predetermined time period is elapsed fromthis time point, the pair of conveying rollers 48 is rotated reversely.This predetermined time period is set, e.g., to a time that is requiredbefore the rear end of the slip 12 in the inserting direction isconveyed to a position immediately before the nip portion of the pair ofconveying rollers 48. When the predetermined time period is set to sucha time, non-recordable region on which print can not be recorded on theslip 12 is reduced, and the recording limitation on the slip 12 isreduced. Alternatively, the predetermined time period can be set to atime that is required before the slip 12 in the inserting direction isconveyed to a position immediately before the rear end of the slip 12passes the top of the guide rib 184. When the predetermined time periodis set to such a time, although non-recordable region of the slip 12 isslightly increased, since the rear end of the slip 12 in the insertingdirection, i.e., leading tip end of the slip 12 in the dischargingdirection is located below the guide rib 184, the slip 12 can reliablybe conveyed toward the insertion/discharge port 58, and the paper jam inthe vicinity of the guide rib 184 can be prevented. In order to reducethe non-recordable region of the slip 12, the guide rib 184 may bedisposed in the vicinity of the pair of rollers 48 in FIG. 10. Further,if the guide rib 184 is shaped such that the top portion thereof is longin the conveying direction, the non-recordable region can be reduced,and the paper jam can reliably be prevented. In such a case, it ispreferable that the top portion is partially provided with projections184b as shown in FIG. 11 so as to reduce the load of the paper conveyingoperation.

While the pair of conveying rollers 48 rotates reversely and the slip 12is conveyed in the discharging direction shown with the arrow 57, thepredetermined print is recorded on the slip 12 by the first print means50, and the slip 12 after printing is discharged out from the apparatusbody 2 through the insertion/discharge port 58. When the slip 12 isconveyed in the discharging direction, the leading end of the slip 12 inthe discharging direction is guided by the guide inclining surface 184aof the guide rib and introduced to the space below the sensor cover 182,guided by the second inclining surface 182b of the sensor cover 182,discharged through the space below the second inclining surface 182b.

In this recording apparatus, since the open/close cover 32 is providedwith the guide rib 184, when the open/close cover 32 is positioned atthe open position, the guide rib 184 is largely distanced from the frontportion of the first print means 50 and located above the first printmeans 50. Therefore, the space at the front surface of the first printmeans 50 and the space between the sheet detecting means 44 and the pairof conveying rollers 48 are opened, and the ribbon cassette 64 caneasily be replaced through the space. Further, when the open/close cover32 is positioned at the close position, the guide rib 184 is locatedabove the space between the sheet detecting means 44 and the pair ofconveying rollers 48 to define a portion of the first conveying path 70.Therefore, even if the slip 12 is curved, the discharge direction end ofthe slip 12 is introduced to the space below the sheet detecting means44 by the operation of the guide rib 184, the slip 12 should not beconveyed above the sheet detecting means 44 in the curved state, and thepaper jam in the vicinity of the sheet detecting means 44 is prevented.

Although the embodiment of the recording apparatus according to thepresent invention has been described above, the invention should not belimited to this embodiment, and it is possible to variously change ormodify without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, although the pair of supporting members 148 and 158 aremounted on the open/close cover 32, and the supporting members 148 and158 are provided with the recording paper supporting portions 152 and162 in the illustrated embodiment, one of or both of the supportingmembers 148 and 158 may be omitted, and one of or both of the recordingpaper supporting portions 152 and 162 may directly be mounted on theinner surfaces of the side walls 116 and 118 of the open/close cover 32.

Further, for example, although the illustrated embodiment has beenexplained based on the recording apparatus including the first printmeans 50 for printing on the slip 12 and the second print means 72 forprinting on the recording paper of the roll of recording paper 82, theinvention related to the roll of recording paper 82 can also be appliedto a recording apparatus including only print means for printing on therecording paper of the roll of recording paper 82 of course.

Further, for example, although the illustrated embodiment has beenexplained based on the recording apparatus including the first printingmeans 50 for printing on the slip 12 and the second print means 72 forprinting on the recording paper of the roll of recording paper 82, theinvention related to the sheet of recording paper (slip 12) can also beapplied to a recording apparatus including only print means for printingon the sheet of recording paper of course. Further, although the sheetdetecting means 44 is disposed outside the open/close cover 32, thesheet detecting means 44 can also be disposed inside the open/closecover 32, and in such a case, the guide rib 184 may be positionedbetween the sheet detecting means 44 and the pair of conveying rollers48.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription and all changes which come within the meaning and the rangeof equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the recording apparatus of the present inventionrelated to the roll-like recording paper is useful as an apparatus forrecording on a single strip such as an order slip, a receipt slip andthe like, and on the roll-like recording paper utilized for a receiptand the like, and is also useful as a facsimile and a printer and thelike for preparing a receipt and the like. Further, the recordingapparatus of the invention related to the sheet of recording paper isuseful as an apparatus for recording on a slip and roll-like recordingpaper, and is also useful as an exclusive apparatus for recording on aslip.

We claim:
 1. A recording apparatus comprising:an apparatus body; anopen/close cover mounted on the apparatus body so as to pivot between anopen position and a close position on a pivot thereof; a conveying pathprovided in the apparatus body; a roll of recording paper supported bythe open/close cover rotatably about a rotation axis thereof, recordingpaper from the roll of recording paper being conveyed through theconveying path; and recording means for recording information on therecording paper conveyed through the conveying path, wherein theopen/close cover is provided with braking force applying means forapplying braking force to the roll of recording paper, and the roll ofrecording paper is pivoted in unison with the open/close cover by aneffect of the braking force applying means when the open/close cover ispivoted from the open position to the close position, whereby the rollof recording paper is rotated in a direction for rewinding the recordingpaper pulled out therefrom.
 2. The recording apparatus of claim 1,wherein the open/close cover is provided with recording paper holdingmeans for supporting the roll of recording paper rotatably about arotation axis thereof extending substantially in parallel to the pivot,andthe pivot of the open/close cover and the rotation axis of the rollof recording paper substantially coincide with each other.
 3. Therecording apparatus of claim 1, wherein the roll of recording papercomprises a core member and recording paper wound therearound, andthebraking force applying means acts on the core member to apply thebraking force to the roll of recording paper.
 4. The recording apparatusof claim 1, wherein the recording means includes a print head and anopposing member to be pushed against the print head, andnip force of therecording paper by the print head and the opposing member is greaterthan the braking force applied to the roll of recording paper by thebraking force applying means.
 5. A recording apparatus comprising:anapparatus body; an open/close cover mounted on the apparatus body so asto pivot between an open position and a close position on a pivotthereof; a conveying path provided in the apparatus body; a roll ofrecording paper to be conveyed through the conveying path; and recordingmeans for recording information on the recording paper conveyed throughthe conveying path, wherein the roll of recording paper is supported bythe open/close cover rotatably about a rotation axis thereof extendingsubstantially in parallel to the pivot, and the pivot of the open/closecover and the rotation axis of the roll of recording paper substantiallycoincide with each other.
 6. The recording apparatus of claim 5, whereinthe open/close cover is provided with a discharge opening fordischarging the recording paper of the roll of recording paper conveyedthrough the conveying path, and a guide rib for guiding the recordingpaper discharged through the discharge opening outside of the apparatusbody.
 7. A recording apparatus comprising:an apparatus body; a conveyingpath defined in the apparatus body; conveying means for conveying asheet of recording paper in an inserting direction and a dischargingdirection opposite from the inserting direction through aninsertion/discharge port provided at one end of the conveying path;recording means disposed in the conveying path, for recording on thesheet of recording paper conveyed through the conveying path; and sheetdetecting means for detecting the sheet of recording paper, wherein thesheet detecting means is disposed above the insertion/discharge port,the sheet of recording paper being inserted into and discharged from theconveying path passing below the sheet detecting means, the apparatusbody is provided with an open/close cover which can pivot between aclose position and an open position on a pivot thereof, the open/closecover being provided with a guide rib for guiding the sheet of recordingpaper, and when the open/close cover is held at the close position, theguide rib is located above the insertion/discharge port in a vicinitythereof to define a portion of the conveying path, and introduces thesheet of recording paper conveyed in the discharging direction throughthe conveying path below the sheet detecting means.
 8. The recordingapparatus of claim 7, wherein the recording means is disposed inside theopen/close cover in a vicinity thereof,the sheet detecting means isdisposed outside the open/close cover, and when the open/close cover ispivoted to the open position, the apparatus body is partially opened,whereby the recording means is largely exposed outside, and when theopen/close cover is pivoted to the close position, the recording meansis covered with the open/close cover and the guide rib of the open/closecover defines the portion of the conveying path between the recordingmeans and the sheet detecting means.
 9. The recording apparatus of claim7, wherein the guide rib is provided with an inclining guide surfacedownwardly inclining in the discharging direction, andthe sheet ofrecording paper conveyed in the discharging direction is guided by theinclining guide surface and introduced below the sheet detecting means.10. The recording apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sheet detectingmeans comprises a combination of light-emitting means for emitting lightand light-receiving means for receiving light from the light-emittingmeans,one of the light-emitting means and the light-receiving means isdisposed above the insertion/discharge port, while the other of thelight-emitting means and the light-receiving means is disposed below theinsertion/discharge port, the one of the light-emitting means and thelight-receiving means is covered with a sensor cover, and the sensorcover is provided at a lower end thereof with a first inclining surfacefor introducing the sheet of recording paper moved in the insertingdirection below the sensor cover, and a second inclining surface forintroducing the sheet of recording paper moved in the dischargingdirection below the sensor cover.